Fire of the Red Lotus
by AvatarAero
Summary: "Our mission is a success. The Avatar is ours." The leaders of the Red Lotus had one mission: Capture the new Avatar. After they succeed, they must determine their goal with her. The battle for the Avatar commences, as the masters of the bending world combine to regain control of the Avatar, lest the world fall into irreperable chaos.
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

**Hey, this is my second story aside from _Kun: The New Avatar._ Just like _The Desire for Honor_ , I hope to turn this into a real series. **

**Like _The Desire for Honor_ , I will be posting this sporadically, but there will be weeks, and especially breaks, when I might post up to three chapters in quick succession. This is really more of a pastime in between the regular updates of _Kun_.**

 **I hope you enjoy this story as well.**

FIRE OF THE RED LOTUS  
CHAPTER 0: PROLOGUE

P'li was the first to surface, followed by Zaheer and Ghazan. Their air bubbles popped as they left the safe haven of the water, and they quickly swam to the icy shore of the lake in the cavern.

Through the opening of the cave, they could see the steam rise from the house of their target. The house was very simple and unassuming, but only for a while. In a few days, the target would be under heavy guard, by both the White Lotus and bending masters. They had to strike now.

Zaheer's teeth chattered as Ghazan erected a makeshift tent of earth while they rested. He looked at P'li. "Too bad your combustionbending doesn't extend to making fire. I'm freezing," he said in his gravelly voice.

Zaheer smiled. "But then I would have never fallen for her," as he pulled into a kiss with P'li. Ghazan rolled his eyes.

After a few minutes, the group snuck down the small cavern that separated the plateau of ice on which the house was built and the cave where they surfaced. As they peeked over the berm, they could almost see the inscription on the door of the house

"Words won't solve problems; actions will"

Zaheer's face twisted into a smile at the irony. He slowly unbent his knees from a kneel into a crouch and continued moving towards the house. Ghazan and P'li followed close behind.

As they approached the house, a phalanx of White Lotus soldiers ran out from behind the house and positioned themselves between the invaders and the house.

"Stop right there! Turn around, go back from where you came, and we won't hurt you!"

P'li snarled. "You must be joking." With a deep breath, she shot a bolt of concentrated heat at the feet of the White Lotus. With a pop and a bang that echoed in the valleys, the White Lotus soldiers were thrown back, and a charred circle the size of the house itself remained.

Zaheer leaped through the steam caused by the explosion and charged towards the house. Even in the face of dozens of new White Lotus soldiers, who were easily separated with Ghazan's earthbending, Zaheer continued forth. Until he was stopped in his tracks by an amazing sight.

Fire Lord Zuko, Chief Tonraq and Master Tenzin, three of the most powerful benders in the world stepped out of the house at the same time. Without a word, Tenzin leaped over Zaheer and towards P'li, while Tonraq attacked Ghazan with his waterbending, forcing him to focus on Tonraq rather than the White Lotus soldiers.

Zaheer turned to Zuko. "I thought we got rid of you in Omashu." Zuko's lip wavered between a scowl and a smile. "I guess I'm not as easy to kill as you thought."

Without a moment's pause after Zuko's sentence, Zaheer jumped towards him, both arms outstretched behind him holding small, serrated knives. Zuko's hands blazed with fire, making them as dangerous as the knives themselves.

Zuko and Zaheer engaged in a fight from there on, that if one was a witness to the fight and a tap dance, they would see no difference. Both Zaheer and Zuko dodged, blocked and averted each other's arms with the skill and ferocity of dancers, never stepping too close or too far away from each other.

Zuko initiated the first major offensive, kicking at Zaheer with fire blasts from his hands and feet. Zaheer managed to avoid each and every attack with a duck, a dodge or a movement of his feet. It was then that Zuko realized: _I've fought this style before_.

P'li and Tenzin were still engaged in combat, with P'li concentrating and missing every one of her combustion shots while Tenzin avoided them and blasted her with air. Thankfully for P'li, the blasts were too weak to cause her serious damage.

Ghazan and Tonraq engaged in a serious fight of bending on their end, using long - range and melee forms of their respective elements. While the long earth swords that Ghazan created mauled the short sickles of ice that Tonraq sported, his ice and water evasion left Ghazan breathless and ineffective on the long - range front, leaving neither at a clear advantage.

All of the White Lotus soldiers were momentarily distracted from attacking P'li and Ghazan when a whole layer of ice dropped from below them, plunging them into the icy - cold waters of below - ground rivers. This left the invaders time to overpower each of their opponents.

While P'li and Ghazan tended to their wounds and tied up the White Lotus members still above ice, Zaheer jumped into the house and went directly for the bedroom of a young toddler.

Coddling her in his arms, he ran back out to P'li and Ghazan, who led him back to the cave and into their makeshift tent. Ming - Hua was there ahead of them, drying herself off by bending the water out of her clothes. Before Ghazan went into the tent, he called out, "Thanks for the save out there. Wouldn't have made it without you." Thankfully for Ming - Hua, he failed to see the blush rise in her cheeks.

Inside the tent, P'li was gripping the hand of the young girl, and closed her eyes. The third eye on her forehead lit up as she opened her eyes. "It wasn't for nothing. The girl is the one."

Zaheer breathed heavily. "Our mission is a success. The Avatar is ours."

 **This prologue is really short, less than a thousand words, like my other prologue, but I wanted to keep them short and introduce the alternate world to the regular ATLA and LoK stories that we are used to.**

 **More information in the stories will be releasing soon. I promised that the second chapter for _The Desire for Honor_ would be updated this week, but I can't make the same promise for this. **

**Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the prologue, and let me know if you do want this to be a long series. See you later.**


	2. Chapter 1: Return of the Lost

**This is Chapter 2 of my third fanon, _Fire of the Red Lotus_. I hope you enjoy reading it. **

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, because I was thinking of all the ways it could go, but I settled on this one that gives you some information into the future but not a lot. Warning though, I suck at writing action scenes, and there are two of them in this chapter. If you can suffer through them, I'll see you on the other side.**

 **Update 11/8/16: Thanks to everyone who helped me get to 100 views on _Fire of the Red Lotus_. It's been a pleasure doing this with you, and keep a watchful eye out next week for Chapter 2.**

 **Update 11/9/16:** **Thanks to everyone who helped me get to 150 views on _Fire of the Red Lotus_. It's been a pleasure doing this with you, and keep a watchful eye out next week for Chapter 2.**

 **Update 11/30/16: Thanks** **to everyone who helped me get to 200 views on _Fire of the Red Lotus_. It's been a pleasure doing this with you.**

FIRE OF THE RED LOTUS  
CHAPTER 1: RETURN OF THE LOST

"There is no way that my children are going to be placed into the line of fire, Tarrlok! You keep your hands off of them, and keep them out of your twisted plans!"

The bellowing of Tenzin, the master airbender, was heard throughout City Hall. However, his anger was justified, as Councilman Tarrlok had just suggested creating a task force designed to looking for the Avatar - that included Tenzin's children, none of whom had reached their teenage years.

Granted, not a single expedition, journey nor adventure into the Southern Water Tribe granted any results, so it was within the councilman's leisure to grasp at straws. But Tenzin would not have those straws involve his children.

"Tenzin, you fail to see my point," Tarrlok said. "I merely suggested adding your children to the section of a task force that would be based in Republic City."

"And who is taking charge of this task force, Tarrlok?"

"Well, I can't think that anyone else should take on the burden - "

"Who would be there to stop you from using this task force to your own ventures? What would happen to my children?" thundered Tenzin. "i agree with making a task force to search for the Avatar, but there is no way I am letting my children join, even if this council votes for it!"

Tarrlok sighed. Tenzin was becoming slightly too melodramatic for his causes. "Noted. Now, shall we put it to a vote? The creation of a new task force, whose sole purpose is to search for the Avatar, under my control."

At once, everyone in the room raised their hand. Tenzin breathed heavily, his outburst costing him much in the way of health. He walked up to Tarrlok. "I apologize if I seemed angry, but, as you know, a father must protect his children. I will see you tomorrow."

Tarrlok chuckled. "Think nothing of it. I understand completely."

At home, Tenzin slumped onto the couch, completely exhausted from the day's work. Within minutes, Pema, Meelo, Jinora and Ikki had returned from their daily activities in the city and joined him in relaxing.

"How was work today, honey?"

Tenzin sighed. No matter how many times Pema would ask that question, the answer would remain the same. "It's been fine. Tarrlok was…difficult, but there's been no change. How's the hospital? Any change in the victims?"

Pema shook her head slowly. "No. More benders have been losing their bending, their memory…What type of person takes away bending? I can't imagine not being able to bend…"

Tenzin immediately got up and developed his wife in a hug. "Hey, be quiet. You're not going to lose anything. We're going to protect you."

Pema began to cry in his arms, and Tenzin wondered, not for the first time nor the last, where in the world the Avatar was.

* * *

It took P'li 2 hours to sufficiently conclude Karana's training. She slumped inside the cave and let out a long breath. "She's strong. You have done well with her."

Zaheer shifted in his corner of the cave. "I have learned from some of the greatest benders and weapons masters of the old age. I learned from the son of Councilman Sokka himself. And I have passed those gifts on to our young warrior."

"I know. She has been able to fight Ghazan, Ming - Hua and myself. Of course, we were not using our full strength, but she is still powerful."

Zaheer sighed, and replied, " Guru Laghima once said that only the student can defeat the master. I guess we shall see if it is my time to be defeated."

Zaheer stepped outside. Ghazan was nursing his right arm, a by product of the girl's spirited attacks with earthbending. And Ming - Hua had been so thoroughly defeated that she struggled to pull her phantom arms together, even while sitting in a puddle of water.

Ghazan looked up. "She's really good. You better watch yourself." Zaheer chuckled, and responded,"We'll see if she's good enough to be initiated. She's done it quicker than most, but she still needs to go up against a real master."

Ghazan nodded up ahead, and said sarcastically, "Go get 'em, tiger." He and Ming - Hua walked off into the cave.

The girl was meditating. Zaheer loved to see her meditate, as opposed to when she was a child and would scream death threats or attack Red Lotus members who tried to get her to meditate for a few minutes. Now, she was able to do it for hours on end, while still remaining aware of her surroundings.

Zaheer shifted slightly in his position to signal that he was ready for her final test. The girl, without making any motion to accept that she had heard it, rose from her position. Words were not necessary. She had been training in this manner for 14 years.

The girl sank into a low tiger pose, preparing for Zaheer's first strike. Zaheer did the same, but his pose was slightly different. For this battle, the girl was not allowed to bend, and Zaheer would restrict himself to only flesh wounds, no fatal shots.

Zaheer struck first this time, initiating the battle with a low sweeping kick followed by a barrage of punches. The girl dodged well, rolling back on her hands and landing on her feet. Using her agile frame, she ducked all of the punches that Zaheer threw, and clocked him right in the jaw, jarring him.

Zaheer tipped his head, and began another series of attacks, that involved complicated leaps and jumps, to throw off the opponent. He would fake more times than the girl could keep track of, and always threw in a punch here and there, just to keep her on her toes. At the end of it, he was breathing heavily, but she was untouched.

Once Zaheer was tired enough, the girl went on an offensive of her own. Because of her smaller frame, she was able to bypass many of the defenses that Zaheer had, and with her hardened muscle, each blow that landed dealt a lot of pain. With one swift punch, she knocked Zaheer on his back, and stood over him, prepared for the final strike.

At the moment when the tension in the air was nearly material, she cracked a smile, and helped Zaheer up. Zaheer clapped her on the back. "Just so you know, I wasn't going at my full strength." He led her into the cave, and as Ghazan, saw the smile on Zaheer's face, he started clapping.

"Congratulations, little girl! I was the only one who thought you could make it. Speaking of which, Ming - Hua!" The call that came from Ming - Hua was tinged with annoyance. "What do you want?" "You owe me a hundred yuan," came the reply.

Zaheer faced the girl. "Congratulations are in order, young one. Today, you become the youngest and most proficient member of the Red Lotus. Your initiation is complete. As per Red Lotus rules, you have a choice of selecting your name. Your name will define your purpose, your personality and your character. Choose wisely, because it cannot be rescinded. What would you like it to be?"

For the first time since her initiation began, the girl spoke. "My name is Korra. Avatar Korra."

* * *

The two men at the door knocked eagerly on the hard wood until Tenzin opened the door. "May I help you?"

The taller one replied, "Maybe you can. You see, we heard about the task force designed to find the Avatar, and we would like to be a part of it. Are you accepting volunteers?"

Tenzin eyed the two boys. Judging from the smears on their clothing, as well as their stench, he assumed that they were homeless, living in the street. The taller one wore an aviator's jacket, with a red scarf around his shoulder. He held himself with authority, which, coming from a homeless person, was quite rare.

The other man looked a lot goofier. He had a jacket in the same style as the first man's, with a smile on his face. There was also a fire ferret sitting on his shoulder, for some particular reason. Tenzin sighed. "I guess we could take you boys in, since we don't exactly have people lining up to join. Why do you want to be a part of this, however?"

The taller one shrugged. "We want to do our city and the world a service. It's our duty as citizens." Tenzin raised a quizzical brow, which prompted the shorter one to slump his shoulders. "And we need the cash, bad. You know Hiroshi Sato, the billionaire who went out of business a couple of weeks ago?"

Tenzin nodded. The shorter continued, "Yeah, well Lovebird to my right was engaged to his daughter. Now that we're all living on the street, I guess its up to us to find a way to support ourselves while Sato looks for a job somewhere."

Tenzin relents, saying, "All right, you boys can join. Go inside. Councilman Tarrlok will be waiting to brief you and the other members of your team. Oh, and what are your names?"

The taller one was about to respond, until the shorter one cut him off. "I'm Bolin, and this is my older brother Mako. You know, the one engaged to Asami Sato." He ran off, barely stifling his laughter.

Mako rolled his eyes. Tenzin chuckled a bit to himself, and began to walk inside. Before he could walk completely inside, Mako grabbed his arm and looked him dead in the eyes. "If we don't get back, if we don't make it…give our salaries to Hiroshi Sato." Tenzin nodded gravely, and led Mako inside.

They walked through the hallways until they reached an iron door. Tenzin rapped on the door in precise motions, and a guard came to the door. "Councilman Tenzin, welcome again." The door opened into a control room with the most modern tracking devices, transport vehicles and weapons.

Tenzin breathed out of his nose as Tarrlok approached him. "Welcome back Tenzin. I see you've found us two new recruits. May I borrow them to brief them?"

Tenzin jerked his head, a sign to Tarrlok that he should take Mako and Bolin. He led them away from the main control center into a secondary room, filled with soldiers in a straight line. Most of them held some sort of weapon, but many of them were benders, just as Mako and Bolin. There was an even spread of soldiers from each nation, as signified by the emblem stitched into their green outfits.

The captain interrupted his own briefing when he saw the Mako and Bolin led by Tarrlok. He let them get into line, before continuing. "As I was saying, we have very little information on the position of the Avatar, or the people that captured her. Thanks to Councilman Tenzin and the White Lotus, we have been able to determine that the party who captured the Avatar is called the Red Lotus."

"The Red Lotus is a global organization. They have spies all over the world, infiltrating organizations to further the Red Lotus' goals. The Red Lotus aims to spread discord and chaos throughout the world with the destruction of world leaders. Anarchy would soon follow. As the Red Lotus have branded themselves: 'The natural order is disorder'."

The captain sighs. "14 years ago, they captured the Avatar, fighting off over 50 White Lotus soldiers, Councilman Tenzin, Fire Lord Zuko and Water Chief Tonraq. We have not found a new Avatar yet, so we can only assume that she is alive and training with them."

Bolin meekly raised his hand, the first motion he made since the beginning of the monologue. "Uh sir, you said the goal of the Red Lotus was to create chaos, right? So why would they keep the Avatar around? Why wouldn't they just kill her?"

The captain turns to him, and says, "That's a great question, son. The reason that we think they haven't done so is because they need a strong figurehead to lead their operations. An Avatar, controlled by the Red Lotus, would be immeasurably powerful. With a person like that leading their charge, they would be impossible to stop. We do think that they will follow up on their goals, however. We suspect that once they have removed all world leaders from power, they would kill the Avatar in her Avatar State. With the Avatar out of the way forever, they are free to let the world descend into madness. That's why we need to capture her."

Mako punches his palm. "Then why are we standing around? You have information; give it to us. We can storm a fortress with the number of people we have here. Let's take them out!"

The captain walked over to Mako, and stared him down. "You need a lesson from your brother in staying calm, and asking questions." He straightened. "Nevertheless, we don't have any leads on that front. All we need is some information as to where she is, where she's going, or where she came from. That's all we need."

* * *

Zaheer directed Korra towards the little village. Even from out at sea, Korra could hear screaming, fire blazing and see smoke trailing up from houses.

Korra turned to Zaheer. "What do you want me to do? Seems like our men are already hard at work."

Zaheer kept his gaze focused on the burning village. "Those aren't our men. They don't work with us. I want you to take them out." He finally looked Korra in the eyes. "Remember what I told you, about our aims? This is your chance to prove your worth. Make us believe that you want to be a part of our new social order. And I promise you, we will reward you handsomely."

Korra nodded. "I got it," she said. "Take out those guys, save the village. It's my chance to show you how much you've meant to me. I won't let you down, Zaheer."

With a strong leap, Korra jumped off of the small, two sail boat she was on and into the water. Surging off the surface a second after she entered the murky depths, she began to speed towards shore, making a beeline for the village. Behind her, Zaheer almost wiped a tear from his cheek.

Korra reached shore in quick time, aided by her bending the water behind her to create two torrential vortices. Once she reached land, she surveyed the situation in an instant.

The village was made in neat rows and columns of buildings, with a large building at the west side, to Korra's right, serving as the communal hall for important activities. The attackers came from this end, hoping to sever the head of the serpent and let it die. They weren't counting on armed resistance from the Earth Kingdom village. Regardless, the attackers were skilled enough to defend their position, and were slowly able to move throughout the village and destroy more buildings.

All this Korra took in. Without a moment's hesitation, she charged the closest attacker. "Get out of here!" she grunted, as she fired a series of rocks at him. Caught off guard, the attacker dropped like a brick in the center of the village. All of the attackers disposed of their opponents and ran towards Korra, some throwing their respective element and others attacking her with weapons.

Korra smirked. In one move, she erected an earth wall that blocked the majority of the attacks directed towards her. Fire, water, earth and metal weapons alike tried to break down the wall, and failed. To deal with the attacks that flew in over the top of the wall or were from different directions, Korra encased herself in a ball of fire so hot that the water steamed when it hit the surface, the rocks melted into mud and the weapons burst into flames.

A woman, severely beaten, looked up at Korra in awe. "You - you saved us," she breathed. "Thank you." Korra flashed her a quick smile, and jumped into the water, speeding away from the village in the same way she had come.

* * *

Just as the captain finished speaking, an associate barged into the room with some paper in her hand. "This just came in on one of our radios."

The captain took one quick look at the file and called everyone to the front of the room. "All right everyone, this is our chance. We just got some information as to where the Avatar is. Seems like she just saved a village here - " he pointed to a red dot near Full Moon Bay " - from some invaders. That's where we'll be looking for the Avatar."

The captain turned around to face the soldiers. "The Red Lotus is arguably the most powerful terrorist organization in the world. You all are taking a huge risk upon yourselves, but I trust that you will perform to the best of your abilities. This is not just about yourselves, or even about Republic City. This is about the world, and what would happen to it if the Red Lotus gained control. That's why we're doing this."

THE END

 **Now that you've read my atrocious action sequences, I would like to thank everyone who helped me get to 300 views on all my stories this month so far, and getting almost 150 on _The Desire for Honor_. I appreciate your continued support. **

**Remember, there's a chapter for _Kun: The New Avatar_ coming out this Saturday, so don't miss it. I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 2: Through the Desert

**I sincerely apologize for my long hiatus for the past couple of weeks. I've spent some time playing my versions of Pokemon Sun and Moon, and I also had too much work for college. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter of the Fire of the Red Lotus. More information will be forthcoming after the story.**

FIRE OF THE RED LOTUS  
CHAPTER 2: THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS

Korra stumbled into the cave, exhausted from her long journey back to the cave. Luckily, she was able to remember the direction that she and Zaheer had taken, but she was quite surprised to not find Zaheer when she came back from the village.

Regardless, when Korra entered the cave, Zaheer was in deep conversation with another man. He stood up when he saw the teenager, and enveloped her in a spine - crushing hug. "Korra, you did it. I'm so proud of you," he mumbled into her hair.

Korra returned the joyful hug with as much energy as she could muster. When they finally broke away, Korra turned to the man who Zaheer had been talking with before she entered. He stood about 2 meters tall, towering even over P'Li.

His entire torso was covered in sheets of metal, overlapping each other and providing excellent defense against most types of attacks. They ended in a skirt fashion above his calves, which were covered and protected by steel toed boots. Oh his head, a red band with an odd symbol of a black tree. Around his shoulders perched a red cape that reached down to his shins, secured to the metal with clasps.

He stepped forward, and the boots clinked against the stone floor of the cave. Even as Korra was drinking in his defensive outfit, she raised her arm towards him. "Nice to meet you. I'm Avatar Korra." Grasping her hand firmly, he replied, "Likewise. My name is Rayan."

* * *

"We can stop here for the night!"

Bolin crumbled to his knees, slung his bag off of his shoulder and collapsed into the ground. Ahead of him, Mako turned around to see his brother almost close to sleep. He walked back and grabbed Bolin's bag, egging him on. "Get up. We just need to find a spot for our tent, and then we can stop."

Bolin grumbled into the ground and hauled himself upwards. When he signed up for the job, he expected there would be some action and danger, seeing as how him and Mako were the only two volunteers. But all that he had accomplished in the last two weeks was trekking out from Republic City to Full - Moon Bay.

He had to admit, it was a worthwhile trip. Not only could he get himself back into shape for the upcoming probending tournament, but he got to see sights and meet people he never would have dreamed of. Just yesterday, he passed the Great Divide.

In a few minutes, Mako and Bolin had found themselves a nice location to camp. Setting down their rucksacks, Mako pulled a tent and some metal poles to help keep it up. He also brought out some tent pegs; the little blocks of wood he drove into the ground with a swift hit from the palm of his hand.

As Mako began to lift the tent up with the metal poles, he looked over at Bolin in disgust. "You could try to help me, you know." Bolin, who had sorted through his rucksack, looked up. "Why should I? I have my own tent," he replied. With a quick uppercut, two angled blocks of stone rocketed up, and at about 3 meters above the ground, they connected into a tent. Bolin sat down, and motioned for Mako to continue.

Mako groaned inwardly, and continued with his tedious task of bringing the tent up to code. The entire 60 minutes of work, Bolin was organizing his tent and talking to Pabu, a massive waste of time in Mako's opinion. Had it been him, he would have surveyed the area, analyzed maps and the witnesses' accounts of the Avatar. He smirked to himself. Hopefully, this job would give him the experience necessary for a police job.

After an hour of grueling work, Mako stretched a little and began to unpack his rucksack. Thankfully, and although he would never have admitted it out loud, Bolin was willing to live in his own tent, and so Mako could be as messy as he wanted without having to worry about Bolin or Pabu messing it up.

Just as soon as he finished, a thundering yell could be heard around the acre wide campsite. "Gather together for your nightly debriefing!" Bolin crawled out of his tent in his underpants, yawning. "Put some clothes on and get out here. _In that order_." Wincing as if slapped, Bolin retreated into his tent.

In the center of the campsite, a gigantic fire blazed, courtesy of one of the lieutenants, a proficient firebender. Around the fire, the thirty or so soldiers cooked their meals, whether it be their meat, or just some dessert that they wanted to cook properly before eating. As Bolin jumped forward to heat up his food, Mako stood back a bit from the group, ruminating and cooking his own dinner.

After everyone had eaten a hearty meal, they settled down as the captain began a full description of their mission. "We're on the very edge of Full - Moon Bay. Out in the bay, there's an island, quite cut off from the rest of the Earth Kingdom. Two weeks ago, they were attacked by some bandits wearing some sort of headband with a black tree on their heads. Fortunately for us, the Avatar came in at the perfect time to defeat them."

"Thanks to eyewitness reports, we determined that the Avatar headed southeast in that direction" - the captain directed everyone's attention to the desert - "and was not seen again. Most likely, she's hiding out with some Red Lotus members, maybe even some of the top honchos themselves."

The captain sighed, his head dropping. "I hate to do this, especially since the last time I did this, 16 men died. But we have to split up. There's no way a group of 3 dozen soldiers, no matter how fit they may be, can cover the entire desert's worth of surface area. We'll be breaking you up into groups of 2, so we can get as much coverage in as little time as possible. By my calculations, we should be able to cover the approximated area of the Avatar's location within two days. You'll get your assignments tomorrow."

The group dispersed and almost immediately began to sleep in their tents. Unsurprisingly, they wanted some shut - eye before the long hiking journey tomorrow. But Mako wasn't ready to sleep yet. "Uh, sir, can I ask you a question?"

The captain nodded gruffly. "Go on, rookie, make it quick."

Mako turned around to show his brother, meekly standing behind him. "We would like to be assigned together. My brother and I have been partners for probending tournaments. We know each other in and out."

The captain leaned in until he stared over Mako's face. "This isn't a sport, son. This is your life on the line. If you don't completely trust your partner, then there's no way that you'll survive. You don't even know what we're up against."

Mako blanched, but held his stance. "I understand that captain, but what _you_ need to understand is that my brother and I lived on the streets of Republic City, alone, for over 10 years. We can handle ourselves, especially if we're together. Now, I don't know how bad it is out there, but I assure you, we have a much better chance of living if we're together."

Red rushed to the captain's face. His hand twitched at his belt, and his eye began to blink randomly. Mako was sure he had crossed the line, and was anticipating some sort of nightstick to hit him in the face when the captain erupted in laughter. He clapped Mako on the back. "You got guts, kid," he admitted. "No one's talked like that to me in over 10 years. You and your brother can stick together. You're obviously much better for each other than anything I can stick you with here."

Mako nodded, smiling. "Thank you, sir."

* * *

Korra hadn't heard that name in her life, and she had traveled all over the world to train with the Red Lotus. Zaheer shook Rayan's hand once more. "Korra, Rayan has come to the Red Lotus in search of your help. He has heard of your prodigious bending skills."

Rayan cleared his throat; his own signal to begin talking. "As Zaheer said, I looked to the most powerful figure today in search of help. I represent a group that wishes to change the world for the better. We see a great divide between the bending elite of Republic City and the nonbenders, who are oppressed in the trenches of society. We hope to rectify that."

"As we speak, our men are around the world, garnering support, as well as within the United Republic, trying to sow the seeds of discord. Each of the bending nations has had immense power as part of the bending society, but with your help, we could topple their power. All we need is a figure to spearhead our movement. You've been gone for 13 years, and the world has gotten accustomed to your passing. If you were to support a movement of any kind, people would flock to the idea."

Korra furrowed her brow in thought. On the one hand, she totally supported equality, and perhaps this group was the most suited for the task. However, she was suspicious of the man, and not only because he was talking with Zaheer in private, before they even had talked with her.

Rayan had kept talking, despite her inner battle."…with your help. Defeating the leaders of the bending nations as well as supporting equality will be the first step to world peace. Of course, we can never remove the psychological problems that draw people to hate special qualities, but…we're working on a solution."

Korra jerked out of her stupor. "Uhh - yes…of course," she stammered. "I'll need some time to think about your proposition. I will have Zaheer get back to you when we can."

Rayan bowed his head. "And that is all we ask of you, Avatar. I thank you, and Zaheer, for your time." His metal boots clinked against the ground as he left the cave, his cape fluttering around his as he exited into the desert.

Korra turned to Zaheer. Before he could say anything, she cut him off. "Give me some time. I'm tired." With a curt smile, she swept past him and the other members of the Red Lotus deeper into the cave, where the pelt of an animal served as her bed.

* * *

Sand streamed out of Bolin's upturned boot as he crouched down in the sand. Shaking the boot as the last grains of sand streamed out of it, he stood up, yanking the piece of leather onto his foot again.

Mako stood on the dune, casting his eyes over their sector. They had long lost sight of the other members of their party, spread out over the vast area of the desert. They had trekked for over 12 hours, and were ready to turn in. However, before they could do so, they had to find shelter. With the sand whipping their faces, they couldn't afford to sleep unprotected.

"I see a cave in the distance. It can't be more than 5 kilometers away. We should be able to get there before sundown." Bolin peered into the sun, already nipping at the horizon, directly opposite of the cave and towards their campsite. "Well, we better get moving," he grunted. "I don't want to be out here when it gets dark."

Even though both Mako and Bolin were in shape, spending hours at the gym each week and practicing their bending, it took them a good 45 minutes to get close to the cave in the sandstorm that whirled around them. Luckily, the landscape was flat enough that Mako spotted it within the time that they had, because it was almost dark by the time they reached the cave.

Mako held up his fist, a soldier symbol that he had picked up from the captain. Luckily, Bolin had been in the room at the time, or he would have bumped into Mako and started to complain. That was the last thing Mako wanted right now, because he could see a faint light flickering from within the cave. Mako ran around the outside to the lip of the cave, almost breathless, his tiredness gone.

Within the cave, there were the dying embers of a fire, long put out. He could see 4 cots scattered within the cave, 5 if you counted the pelt in the far corner as a sleeping area. Each cot was designed with specificity, as if it was personal to the owner.

The closest cot was built as if made by an engineer, someone skilled with their hands. It was elegantly built, rising only a few centimeters off of the ground, but with intricate designs it seemed like the bed of a king.

One was shaped completely out of ice, which was amazing considering the temperature had risen to over 38 degrees Celsius at high noon. The last two were somewhat simple, one made completely out of earth, and the other one out of wood, but with some distinct singed edges.

"What in the world is this place?" Bolin's whisper startled Mako, and he turned around. "Let's check it out."

At once, Bolin's face became a mask of terror. "No way, Mako. We can't afford to make a mistake. Let's just call it in and be done with it." Mako shook his head. He whispered, "I can't give up the chance that the Avatar might be around here. I'll check it out; you stay here and cover for me."

Mako crept inside without waiting for a response. Aside from the cots, there was nothing in particular that Mako could find. Just a deeper cave, with more tunnels and rooms evidently meant for each person in the cave. It was honestly quite spacious, and Mako envied their protection from the bitter winds outside.

Speaking of outside, Bolin was probably still waiting there. Mako tramped through the cave quickly, wanting to make sure he hadn't missed anything, before he came upon a hole in the ground in the last room. He knelt down to examine it, but was thoroughly disappointed. Other than it being the size of a human, there was nothing special about it.

Mako bit his lip, thinking long and hard about the effect of his actions. He thought of Asami, their bed in the streets of Republic City, and the crime that threatened their lives every day. Once he made up his mind, he stood up and jumped down the hole.

Rayan knelt before the throne, shrouded in darkness. "We have planted the seed in her mind, sir. She cannot help but come to our cause. Zaheer will be an effective ally, and you will have Republic City."

A white hand tapped the desk in front of the throne, although the rest of the body was hidden. Glinting white teeth shone out from the head of the chair, a ghoul's smile in the darkness.

THE END

 **Because of some personal problems, work in college and an upcoming vacation, I will be taking a short break from FFN just until the 24th of December. After this story airs, there will be no more updates for any of my stories until that date.**

 **On that date, I will upload one episode of _Kun: The New Avatar_ , and as a Christmas present to my loyal readers, I will post one chapter a day for the 5 weekdays the next week. (There was no way I was going to be able to do 12 stories for that week). From there, I will continue my normal schedule of one chapter every two weeks for _Kun_ , and then one chapter a week for one of my other stories. **

**Who knows? By then, I might even have my first one - shot prepared.**

 **Again, I apologize for my absence, and my future absence, but I hope you guys understand. Bye.**


	4. Chapter 3: Rescue Operation

**Hello to everyone reading this post. This is day 3 of my 5 day fanon a day posting spree. Today's series is _Fire of the Red Lotus_ , and it will be the third chapter in the series. **

**A side note that I would like to mention: Throughout the month of December, there have been a lot of people who have revisited my fanons, even though I didn't post a new chapter for them. I really appreciate the support, especially throughout this month, when it's supposed to be a happy time with your family.**

FIRE OF THE RED LOTUS  
CHAPTER 3: RESCUE OPERATION

The last time Mako was this stressed, he was in school, he was eight, and he still had parents.

Sitting outside the office of the administrator of his school, Mako felt a pit in his gut. He knew he did something wrong, he just couldn't remember what it was. Unfortunately, the administrator didn't see it that way, and sat Mako's parents down for a conference about their son's behavior. Of course it didn't go over well, but at least the damage in that situation was minimal. He was punished when he got home, and that was the end of that.

In this case, he might well have lost his job, his stable salary, and jeopardized the whole mission.

Two sharp raps from the door signaled to Mako that he should enter. Steeling his nerves and the adrenaline rushing through his body, he went inside the room. Within the room sat the captain of the operation, Tenzin, and Chief of Police Lin Beifong. They were seated on one side of a table, and facing Mako was a chair. He sat in it and faced the three adults, as if his sentence was about to be delivered for a homicide case in court.

The captain cleared his throat. "We're terminating you from the operation. It was a unanimous decision, and there was no other way for us to punish you. I'm sorry, but it had to be done. If your brother wishes it to be so, then he can stay on the force."

Mako was not as surprised as he expected, but he still tried to make an effort to retain his job. "Sir, is there any way that I could stay on the force? I know I made a mistake but - "

The captain cut him off. "Look, _rookie_ , you didn't just make a mistake: You messed up the whole operation. By diving into that tunnel yourself, you could have signed your death pact. We would have had to gone looking for you, and endangered even more soldiers. Not to mention the fact that you should have called in the sighting of the cave the instant you saw it was inhabited. You destroyed our operations on a massive scale, and I don't know anything that would keep you on the force. I'm sorry."

Defeated, Mako got up from the chair, bowed down to all three adults, and left the room, morose. Bolin was waiting outside, hoping eagerly for some good news, but he found the answer in Mako's downturned face. The door to the office opened, and Tenzin and the captain headed their separate ways.

Lin, however, decided to remain behind, silently observing the scene between brothers that was going on. Finally, making up her mind, Lin walked over to Mako and Bolin, unsure of how to console them. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it again, and then opened it once more, clearly showing her uneasiness.

"I want to offer you a job."

Mako almost missed the words that came out of her mouth. "Wait, what?"

Lin repeated herself, stuttering a bit int he process. "I w-want to offer you a job. Mako, I think you would be a perfect fit for an operation that I have planned. It's basically a smaller version of the one you were just in, but with more freedom, better soldiers, and a nice paycheck," she explained.

Slightly apprehensive, Mako tried to hurl a sentence back to her before Bolin chimed in: "He'd love to accept! It's not like he has much going on at the moment." A nervous chuckle cemented the awkwardness of the situation.

Mako grabbed Bolin's forearm. "What are you doing?" he hissed. Bolin returned the gesture, clenching his hand around Mako's arm. "Getting you a job. You do the same thing that you always did. Besides, even if I get sacked, which will probably happen anyway. I can tell that the captain doesn't like me."

Bolin rammed the heel of his hand into Mako's spine, driving him forward towards the bored Chief. Mako stumbled, and stuck his hand out. "I would love to join! When do I start?"

Lin stuck her hand out as well, and they shared possibly the most awkward handshake of Mako's life. He vowed that he would murder Bolin later, once he had the chance. "You start today," the chief responded. A glint appeared in her eye. "Follow me."

* * *

Korra finally broke the surface of the sand, breathing heavily. They were well over 2 kilometers away from the cave. If it hadn't been for Ghazan's seismic sense, they might not have even avoided detection. But, aside from the gigantic hole in the ground that led to the toxic sewers, they disappeared without a trace, well over half an hour before the intruders even happened upon their cave.

Zaheer, P'li and Ming - Hua were already ahead of Korra, bent over in pain. Even though each of them was in excellent physical condition, they could not run underground while holding their breath for a long period of time. Korra would have made it easier for them, but that would have drained her even more.

Once she had gotten her breath back, Korra walked over to Zaheer, still limping slightly from a stray rock she encountered along the path. "I've mad cup my mind," she announced. Zaheer raised a furry eyebrow. "I'm going to join Rayan. We're the Red Lotus, the most powerful organization in the world. The future of our goals shouldn't be decided by whether someone happens upon our hiding places. I want to join Rayan. THat's the only way we can see our visions to the end."

Zaheer smiled warmly. "You truly have changed. And to think, 13 years ago you would have screamed bloody murder and threatened to hunt them down. I'm glad you've become more rational." He gathered his fallen supplies. "Luckily, Ghazan chose the right way to take us. We're only a few days' journey away from Omashu, and I happen to know that Rayan frequents the underground operations there. We can trek there, wait for Rayan, and tell him the good news. Any missions from there on, you have to undertake."

Ming - Hua, P'li and Ghazan, who just popped up from underground, agreed with Zaheer. Ming - Hua needed help getting her rucksack onto her back, but they were off shortly, heading in the Southwest direction towards the great city of Omashu.

* * *

Mako had no idea how he'd wound up walking the sewers of Republic City, but he did know that it was because Lin Beifong decided to hole up her operations in the most inconvenient place possible. After about a kilometer of walking in the stench and filth of Republic City's finest, they came upon a platinum door set in the side of the rock that walled the sewer. Bolin, who only came upon Mako's insistence, was the first to rush through the door once it opened.

Inside was a gigantic room, layered with technology unseen by Mako when he worked with the task force. Lin spoke up behind him. "I've learned, not only from this project but from all of my criminal busts, that the criminals usually get better stuff than what we get. I decided to use that to my advantage."

Mako whirled around. "What reason would you, the Chief of Police have, for making a secret organization? What's the point? How do I know that this just isn't a trap?" With each question, Mako stalked forward, until he was eye to eye with Lin. She didn't back down.

"First of all, rookie, I think its a bit rich of you to accuse me of trying to sabotage you, especially when there's nothing to sabotage you for. _Second_ , do you know how hard my mother has worked to make a better world for everyone? I am not going to stay here in Republic City and pretend the world is safe when we don't know the state of the Avatar. Got it?"

Her harsh barrage of words knocked the breath out of Mako, and he slouched backwards. Lin sighed, and continued, "Now that that's over, let's get into what you'll be doing, Mako." Lin walked over to the main control center, dominated by a large electronic map on the screen. A red dot was highlighted on the location of the cave, and it also labeled with a green dot that signified the location of the Avatar's first and only mission, the village of Guandlau.

"As I'm sure that you know, the green dot is where the Avatar saved a village under attack, and the red dot is where you found her cave. Basically, to make this simple, the Avatar is going to save more people, and will try and gain more support. That is what this operation is working towards. The more locations that we can determine the Avatar helps, the better we can triangulate her position."

Mako nodded his head slowly. The better technology that Lin managed to obtain would let him - and presumably, other soldiers, thanks to the inside information from Bolin - get to locations quicker. Genius.

"Mako, I want you on watch from 8 am in the morning to 6 pm in the afternoon. You'll have the guise of a regular job. Bolin, you'll be our inside man in the task force. Let us know of any major developments in missions. Any information we get is important."

Mako and Bolin stood shoulder to shoulder, filled with a sense of purpose for the first time in their lives. Out of nowhere, Mako's arm came up and pointed at his temple. Standing at attention, Mako called out, "Yes sir!"

Lin cracked a smile. "Maybe you'll end up being a police officer once this all blows over, _rookie_."

* * *

Korra had only been in Omashu for two weeks, and she loved the city. Even as a member of the Red Lotus, having to hide from the patrols in the city, there was something about the gigantic mountain that the city was built on that made her almost jump for joy.

The outside of the city, seen from the roads, was a gigantic cone, with smooth enough sides that houses could be built on them. However, the secret underground base that Korra currently lived in was amazing, to say the least.

Instead of entering the mountain through the traveler roads, Korra had to come in from the flat plains in the south, completely avoiding the patrol that surrounded the perimeter. Then, they had to crawl through the sewage pipes of the city and using Zaheer's connections with Rayan, could get access to the inner city.

While it did take a lot of work to reach Omashu, Korra found that they were much safer, much more comfortable and much more suited for this lifestyle. She had an actual bed! The last time that she slept on a real bed…

She couldn't remember. Regardless, the inner city was a gigantic network of paths and walkways that ascended upwards within the mountain. The ground floor contained all of the important rooms and the vital resources for survival, including a subset of earthbending that involved the growing of food. Korra would have to try that someday.

Her room was a spacious cavern that was easily large enough to fit her supplies, as well as give her enough space to practice her bending. Within a few days, Korra had grasped the ability to draw water from sources far away, even going so far as to destroy the drains in her room because she tapped into the water source below the ground floor.

After two weeks of practicing her bending, lounging around and living the privileged life, at least by her standards, she finally got to meet Rayan once more. Like the last time, he worse special armor, specifically designed for him, obviously. He appeared in her room while she was meditating, along with the other Red Lotus members.

After asking for her presence, he quickly exited the room and began to walk in a seemingly random pattern through the mountain until he reached a room that was more protected than the rest, encased in platinum and protected by an electronic password. Inside, a large room filled with electronic gadgets emerged. In the center was an arced table in front of a screen that Rayan controlled with a remote in his pocket.

He clicked a series of buttons, and a large map of the known world appeared. Selling down in a chair, Rayan gestured for the others to take a seat as well. He began once everyone was properly adjusted.

"As you know, our goal as a group is to work on the elimination of discrimination between benders and nonbenders. I myself am a nonbender, and your Zaheer is as well. However, you have shown that benders and nonbenders can peacefully coexist. This is the way that we should spread our influence."

He clicked a button again, and many green dots appeared all over the world. "All of these dots are places where anarchists are trying to gain a hold in small villages. They are part of a larger group called The Disorder. It is a reference to both the disease that infects our world, but also the lack of order that they try to implement. That is what we must combat. The world needs an Avatar, and if you show that you aren't afraid to stand up for the oppressed."

Korra hadn't moved throughout the presentation, and now that Rayan was completed, she nodded slowly. Without any preamble, she said, "When can I start?"

A flash of teeth appeared in Rayan's face; the first time he showed emotion when talking with Korra. With another series of clicks on his remote, he managed to pinpoint a green dot not far from Omashu itself, in the northwestern direction. "An isolated village that has no name. The anarchists want to gain access to the village because it is in a perfect location as a storage center for their movements in the desert. If you defeat them here, it will be a major blow to their plans."

Uncharacteristically, Korra punched her palm with her fist. "Then what are we waiting for?"

* * *

Mako glanced at the clock once more and groaned. The clock had barely changed its numbers in the countless times that he looked at it. In fact, it felt like time was slowing down, just to put him in more agony. He leaned back in his chair and felt like hitting something.

The clock read 4:48. Mako still had over an hour left before he could go home, or the specific attic that would be his home for the next few weeks until he could afford an apartment. Thanks to the government, he and Bolin were bringing in easy money, and they could finally afford to rent out some basements and attics for Asami and her father.

But oh, how Mako envied Bolin, being able to train with government soldiers, consistent activity and making lasting relationships. Who knows, with Pabu, Bolin could get friends all on his own. But stuck underground in the bunker, having to slosh through the sewers every day to "work", almost didn't feel worth the fat paycheck. Almost.

Somedays, however, Mako was glad the map didn't change. Yes, he would be bored, but some of the technicians and passing soldiers sometimes greeted him. And besides, the fact that he could stay in the room, without having to do anything, and receive money was more than he could ask for.

Until, approximately two minutes later, the map began to flash red. Mako was jolted out of his stupor, and immediately smashed a red button to his right, yelling into the microphone in front of him that echoed throughout the underground bunker. Within seconds, Lin was in the room, suiting up. Mako sat in the chair, simply waiting for an order from the Chief of Police.

Lin looked up, halfway through getting her suit on. "What, you don't want to join me out there?" For the second time in two minutes, Mako was shocked, but this time, it wasn't for long. Leaping out of the chair, Mako told a technician to handle the control room, and retrieved the same suit that he used when he was still with the government. Quickly pulling it on, Mako grabbed some weapons and followed Lin out of Republic City and into one of the transport vehicles that would take them to the spot of the attack.

* * *

It would take nearly two days for Mako and Lin to return, having spent the majority of that time in the vehicle. Luckily, the bridges that were built across the canals in the Earth Kingdom were much sturdier now, otherwise their bodies would have washed up on the shores of a river hours ago.

Unfortunately, and yet as expected, they didn't find anyone of interest save for a few beaten mercenaries and awed citizens. Citizens who, on many occasions, praised the Avatar for her omnipresence in saving them. Had it not been for her, they said, they would have lost all of their resources to the bandits, and they might not have survived the storms.

But Lin was not discouraged, even if Mako was. Groaning in the passenger seat of the transport vehicle, Mako complained, "What was the point of that? We didn't get any information. Do you think the Avatar's going to stay out here and wait until we get here so that we can ask her questions?"

Lin gave him a look mixed with disgust and awe. "No, you moron. We're doing this so that we can determine where the Avatar is. Think like a cop. Now, according to numerous eyewitnesses, the Avatar went in a southeast direction. We can't search all of the desert, so we let this play itself out. The Avatar isn't harming anyone, except for mercenaries that we would have to take out anyway. So let's allow the Avatar to save people, and then, with all the information, we should be able to figure out where she is."

Mako nodded, taken aback by the Chief's intuitive skills and analytical observations. He would have to apply himself more if we wanted to perform as well as her in the future, especially if it came to looking for the Avatar.

* * *

Rayan snuck away from the Red Lotus as soon as he could. Stealing away to the screen room, Rayan punched in a code that only he knew, which would allow him direct access to Republic City. Just like the last time that he saw his leader, he was completely in the dark, with only his gloves to show that he still sat in the room.

Rayan bowed, bending onto one knee. "Our plans are working, sir," he intoned. "We had to pull some strings, but the boy is out of our problems now. All that remains is getting the Avatar to gain support, and then we can get her to replace each of the world's leaders. Once that happens, then we can move forward with Phase 2. Everything is working."

A dark chuckle escaped the man's lips; deeper than one would think imaginable. "It is amusing that you think this is so. I have many sources that say otherwise."

Rayan gulped, choosing his words carefully. They may be his last. "We…regardless of any problems, sir, simply keep your trust in me. I will perform to the best of my abilities and eradicate any opposition to our plans."

The man leaned forward, not so much as he was visible, but enough to show the insignia of a flame, outlining in dark black the words "Disorder". "I hope so, for your sake. I have put all my faith in you, and should you fail me…" He let the sentence hang in the air. Moving back to his original position, the man finalized the conversation with a monotone, "Disorder is the only order."

Rayan nodded, and he whispered the words to himself, as if they were an incantation that would strengthen his own belief in the words.

"Disorder is the only order."

THE END

 **Somehow, throughout this chapter, I made being underground and in the sewers a major part of the story. I'm sorry for anyone who is slightly squeamish regarding those things, but they had to have been included at some point.**

 **That's all I have to say for this chapter. Remember to come back tomorrow for day 4 iin the 5 day long fanon posting spree, which is the 3rd chapter for _The Avatar's Apprentice_. See you then!**


	5. Chapter 4: March to Omashu

**DEAR GOD DID THIS TAKE ME A LONG TIME TO WRITE.**

 **I don't even know why. The majority of the chapter is pure crap, and it's a Great Divide episode that does nothing but fill for the next chapter. The only reason you're reading this trash is because I can't jump directly from "isolated missions" segment to "We know where the Avatar is" segment. Ughh.**

 **Just...just go through this. And if you don't want to, I'll be on the other end.**

FIRE OF THE RED LOTUS  
CHAPTER 4: THE MARCH TO OMASHU

Mako began to wish that his job only entailed sitting in a room for 9 hours and getting a paycheck at the end of the day. Much more boring and mind - consuming, but with an active imagination and complete freedom, Mako could practice his bending or conjure stories in his own little room.

Now, however, his muscles ached every day, and while Bolin was living the life at the government facility, Mako was tracking sand into their house on a weekly basis.

 _At least you have a house now_ , a voice inside his head chided. And it was true. Just a month ago, Mako, his girlfriend Asami, her fallen businessman father Hiroshi and Bolin were living in an alleyway, with barely enough food to go around, much less buy anything unnecessary. Now, thanks to the handsome salaries that Bolin and Mako brought home, they were able to rent out an apartment on the very edge of the city, at low prices. It was a far cry from Asami's mansion, but it was enough to live in, until Mako found a way to earn more money or Hiroshi's products began working once more.

For the tenth time this month, Mako slammed the door of his apartment open, scaring the daylights out of Hiroshi, who almost dropped his new device. According to him, it would be a pocket - sized version of the radio, that would allow you to communicate with others quickly. Such a device would rocket him back to the top of Republic City, but he constantly needed more parts, and neither Mako nor Bolin brought in enough money to supply Hiroshi.

Mako crashed down onto the couch, the old piece of furniture groaning as the springs recoiled and whatever elasticity that remained began to stretch itself out. He let out a slow moan as his body relaxed into the soft material, thanking his lucky stars for the comfort of the mattress.

Before he knew it, Asami sidled up behind him, kneading her fingers between his shoulder blades. Mako didn't realize it from walking all day with a 20 kilogram rucksack on his back, but the muscles near his shoulders had been stretched and pulled at the same time, causing insane muscle strains. But Asami always knew how to relieve the pain.

Asami dug her knuckles into Mako's back, driving him onto the couch, but also sending pain throughout his body. "What's new in your one man effort to save the world, my handsome?" Asami cooed as Mako began to buck from the pressure. Between pants, he managed to choke out, "We're … cross…checking…the location…of the…Avatar."

"And where might that be?"

Bolin strutted into the room, having been released from his shift mere minutes before Mako. "In Omashu, most likely…" Bolin's voice trailed off as he saw the scene on the couch. "Bad time? Don't worry; I'll sleep on the floor."

Asami stopped, and Mako turned over so that he faced her. With his head movements, he sent a simple message: What's up?

Hiroshi looked at Asami with a knowing nod.

"i know you're not going to like what I'm about to say, but I don't care." Asami took a deep breath. "I want to come with you to Omashu. or wherever you're going."

Mako tried to interject a statement, but Asami continued. "I know you might not like it, but I really want to take part in it. I know how to fight, I can handle myself, and my father is close to perfecting some device that can let people communicate on the go. I'm sure that if he could mass produce it, the army would be certainly willing to - "

mako had had enough. He put a finger to Asami's lips, trying to get her to stop talking. "Hey, Asami, I get it. You want to join, right? Let me put in a word with Beifong, and I'm sure you'll get accepted. Thanks, Asami, and thank you very much, Mr. Sato."

Hiroshi glanced up from his work long enough to smile and reply, "The pleasure is mine."

Mako nodded, and slumped down onto the bed, exhausted and snoring within seconds.

* * *

Within the shell of Omashu, Korra relaxed and threw herself into her left bed, Unfortunately, the bed wasn't as soft as she expected, as she landed directly on the hard stone below the straw of her bed.

The pain lanced through her shoulder as she arced her back in pain. A shout escaped her throat, and she could feel the broken bone as she tried to shift into a better position so that it could heal. The crunching between her shoulder and her neck led her to believe sh'ed broken her shoulder blade, a pretty place to have an injury, as it dictated her upper body.

Korra groaned again as she attempted to move into a better position. It took her a good 10 minutes to sit up on her beed, feeling the scratching of the hay underneath her as she adjusted herself. Bracing herself for the incoming pain, Korra pushed herself off of the bed, propelling her body several meters forward into the stone wall. Her left arm was virtually useless, as moving it would cause the grating of her shattered shoulder.

Clutching her arm, Korra walked out of her room and onto the ground floor of Omashu's inner city, quite literally. Korra had been to the map room, as she colloquially called it, at least half a dozen times since her arrival a month ago, and she knew the way by heart.

Ignoring worried looks from others within Rayan's organization as she stumbled down the hallways, Korra slammed through the platinum door, barely waiting long enough to enter in the passcode that she had been calibrated for.

Zaheer and Rayan were in the middle of a conversation, but they immediately stood up when they saw Korra stumble inwards. She tried to remain on her feet and not show pain until she could be secluded, but sacrificing comfort for speed meant that she would be in legitimate agony until she was able to make it to the map room.

Zaheer rushed towards her, grabbing her left arm, sending her into much more pain than before. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and Zaheer took the hint early, and laid her to rest on the stone floor. The last thing that Korra remembered before she passed out was Zaheer's kind face, an expression that was both worried and happy.

* * *

Korra awoke in a tub of water, with cold water on her shoulder blade. Rayan looked up, a harangued expression on his face, most likely from worrying about losing the Avatar. Zaheer sat next to him, his shaven head crinkled with concern.

As soon as Korra opened her eyes, Zaheer rushed forward and told the waterbender to stop. He cradled her head in his hands. "Are you alright?" Korra squirmed under his grasp. "I'm fine. What's the problem?" she complained.

Rayan looked up, bags under his eyes as his hair flopped around his head. "It wasn't your death that we had to worry about. It was you not being able to fight in the upcoming battle. We don't need to explain the purpose of these whole missions again, do we?"

Korra slumped her head back. "I thought I explained it to you. I know I've changed, but I haven't been paying that much attention at our meetings. Really, I only listen when you tell me where I'm going." She winced as she tried to get up. "Poor choice now, I suppose."

Rayan clutched his head in his hands. "This is just getting worse and worse," he whispered to himself. Finally, he stood up. "Korra, the main reason that we need the entire Republic City force here, leaving the precious capital city of the United Republic undefended. We can take it with a small force, like we have done to other cities in the past, but we need you here to defend against the massive wave of troops. You're the only one in the world who could defend against them. That means, if you're out of action, then we lose our most valuable headquarters."

Korra wilted under the words as Rayan began to shout at the final moment. Rayan once again pushed his hair away from his face. "I'm sorry, Korra. It's just that…" Rayan glanced helplessly at Zaheer, whose face didn't change. "There are people higher up in this organization that want to see this as successful as possible. I've already made mistakes, and this would have been the final straw. Just…please, don't get into any more trouble."

Nodding fearfully, Korra relaxed once more in the bath, apologizing to all three of them for causing them so much grief. Sinking down deeper into the bath, she blew bubbles under the surface, truly repenting her actions.

* * *

"That's it; they're in Omashu."

Lin made the final declaration, handing it down like judgment in court. Mako took a hard look at the map, and he could find very little flaw in Lin's allegation. There were over a dozen green dots on the map, with each one being a location where the Avatar had saved a village from attackers. Mako and Lin had traveled to each one of those locations; Mako had the calluses and sand tracks in the house to prove it. From each village, they had taken a direction of exit for the Avatar, but it wasn't until they had compiled the list of possible locations that Omashu stood out in 9 of the 13 scenarios.

Bolin had taken leave from the task force for the day, citing illness, just to evaluate the location of the Avatar as compared to where the task force was camped. Instead of remaining in the center of the desert, for more access to the villages that peppered it, the task force chose to stay on the edge, allowing easier access to supplies. The captain may have been a fearsome military persona, but he valued the lives of his soldiers more than anything.

Breathing through his nose, Mako said, "Okay, we know that. What do we do now?"

Lin continued looking at the large map in front of her. "We go to the council. Bolin told me they're having a meeting today with the captain of the task force that he's on. We reveal what we've been doing for the past month, we organize an invasion of Omashu, and we storm the city, taking the Avatar with us. It's pretty simple from here."

Both Mako and Bolin were taken aback. "Reveal the secret operation?" Mako asked incredulously. "You know what the meaning of secret is, right?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid, okay?" Lin scoffed. She straightened. Folding her arms, Lin stared right into Mako's eyes, reminding him, oddly, of Asami. "I created this thing. The whole point was to find the Avatar. Now that we have, there's no point. We can keep this place, if we need it in the future, but for now, we can reveal the whole operation."

Mako shook his head. "You got guts, Lin. I might just consider being a police officer, especially if it means that I get to work under you." Lin smiled, a rare occurrence for her. "Just doing my job," she humbly admitted.

Mako smiled, completely filled up with courage, joy and eagerness. "I think that the Republic City Council has a meeting with us that they didn't know about."

* * *

"Based on these statistics that the captain has shown us, I think we should all take a vote on whether or not to continue the task force-"

Tenzin stopped midsentence as the doors to City Hall swung open, and in walked Lin, Mako and Bolin, as if prepared to invade City Hall. Lin spearheaded the attack, walking in front with her stern gaze turned to maximum. Mako and Bolin flanked her, ready to back her up in any situation. They stalked towards the arc of chairs that stood in front of the chairs that made up the audience.

Tenzin was flabbergasted. "Lin, what is the meaning - We are having - I don't think this is the time - "

"Save the chitchat, Tenzin, we have more important things to do," Lin snapped, scaring Tenzin into silence. Lin slammed down a thick stack of papers onto the table, creating a resounding boom throughout the empty hall. "In these you'll find maps, witness statements and information that corroborates the claim that the Avatar is in Omashu. I've been running a secret organization underground for the past couple of months, long before you even creating this task force. It's done better work than you ever could, no matter how much time you had."

The captain, spluttering at the mention of his operations in such a degrading way, began furiously looking between Mako and Bolin. Finally resting his eyes on Mako, he roared, stomping forward with every word. "You think that just because you're off the task force, I can't do anything to you? I'll make your life miserable, and you better believe - "

Lin stepped between the two men, shutting up the captain. "No, you won't do that," Lin venomously said. "You're the reason that this entire operation has been at fault. No one can deny your excellence in the field, but when it comes down to it, you're too much of a wuss to try anything. I made this operation because I care not only for the future of my friends and family, but also because I care about the world. The reason that you're not standing in my shoes today is because you don't understand that."

Mako and Bolin sucked in air, quite relieved that they were not on the receiving end of Lin's anger. All of the council members were taken aback at Lin's rage, concealed under her mask of a face. "Let's move on," said Lin, slightly uncomfortably. "I propose that we create a system of attack to penetrate Omashu and take the Avatar. We have to be prepared for any number of things to go wrong, so we should take a massive force. I propose we vote, right here and now. None of you will have to worry about a thing: Let me take care of the whole operation."

"That's preposterous!" The words seemed to explode out of the captain's mouth, as he tried to find an expression that would fit his incredulity and rage at the same time. "You cannot just barge in here and make accusations and then call for a vote. That is not how Republic City - "

"I think you'll find that you're wrong there, _captain_ ," Lin retorted, the word dripping with sarcasm. "As Chief of Police, I have as much say in the city's affairs as the council members themselves."

Tenzin and Tarrlok, who hadn't said a word, sighed in tandem. "I'm afraid that she's right, captain," Tenzin admitted. "So, to a vote?" he asked, as the captain fumed. "Whether or not we should create an invasion force against Omashu, with the complete cooperation of the city itself?" All the members of the council raised their hands, more so scared by Lin's change of attitude than by their own will.

But, they had to admit as they leafed through the packet, long after Mako, Bolin and Lin had left, it was a compelling argument. With all the information, proof and corroboration of evidence that Lin had provided, it would be hard to refuse her. They were so engrossed in the outcome of their decision that they didn't see the captain grind his teeth in pure rage, threatening death upon them all within his own mind.

* * *

Lin gazed upon the great city of Omashu, the largest living structure that hadn't modernized. A gigantic mountain, the city's main method of transport remained the gravity - borne rollercoaster, whisking away goods and mail faster than the eye could see. It was a shame that Lin was the one who had to invade it.

She saw something move out of her peripheral vision: Mako moving up next to her. "It's beautiful," he breathed. Lin nodded, a diamond of a tear in her right eye. "My mother used to bring me here to recount all her adventures here. Even when I was a little girl, I traveled the world with my mother's friends, and Omashu was still my favorite. I've had so many memories here…" Lin tried to remain emotionally sound for the mission.

Crossing his arms, Mako took a deep breath. "Everything _else_ all right? Has the government of Omashu found anything noteworthy about any activity below the streets of their city?"

"Nothing so far, but they've given us full reign to go through. As long as we don't destroy the city in trying to defeat them, we should be fine. Besides," Lin remarked with a glint in her eye, "They won't be expecting this."

Mako looked back at the thousands of soldiers, multiple tanks, airships and artillery, along with generals, captains and commanders of the highest quality, presided over by two of the best benders in the current world, Tenzin and Tarrlok. Nodding appreciatively, Mako remarked, "I guess you're right."

THE END

 **Now that you stumbled through that garbage dump, I'd just like to apologize for forcing you to go through that. The lack of anything in this chapter is probably the worst part.**

 **This Saturday, you can witness the next chapter of _Kun: The New Avatar_ , so if you want to cleanse your brain, be ready for that. Or don't, in the likely case that I fail to do well writing that as well. **


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